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[R282]Retail Store That Sells

by Joe Haefner, Joe

We're all aware of that moment called POP or Point of Purchase – a moment when the customer actually makes the decision to select one brand over other. As a salesperson, it s your job to influence the customer to pick a product with a good profit margin. However, in a retail environment you have to use a subtle marketing strategy.

For example, a card and gift store sells similar product from brand X, brand Y and brand Z (as it is almost impossible to concentrate on a single brand). Even if the store can earn a bigger profit margin by selling brand Y, they still can't override a customer's decision to buy a product from brand X or brand Z. If the customer feels that the salesperson is trying to influence their decision, he or she may flee to the next store and not come back.

How to be a good sales person in a retail environment!

Retailers must use a subtle marketing strategy. Put extra emphasis on store displays, posters, pamphlets and pop displays that will emphasize the brand you are trying promote. The positioning of product literature and displays can heavily influence buyer's behavior. However, be sure the product stands up to its expectations and claims. Remember the old saying you can sheer a sheep many times but you can only skin it once. You want customers to come back, don't try and retire on one sale.

Another way to guard against any unwanted situations is to practice good public relations. A good relationship with your customers can prevent tensions from getting out of hand. Public relations is little more then common sense practiced by professionals. With a little homework on the Internet a retailer can have a good strong PR campaign in place in a week or so.

Make them comfortable and they will buy?

Always greet your customers with a smile: Smiles are contagious and happy customers are contagious. It's your job to turn a shopper into a buyer.

Provide enough space. If your customers feel comfortable they will stay longer. Most of the time, less is more. Remember the 80/20 rule. You make 80% of you money on the top 20% of your items. That bottom 20% or 30% is dead weight and costing you sales and money. Good retail point of sale systems can help weed out your slow selling items and let you invest your money in items that will create a higher turnover and better cash flow.

What every good sales person knows!

Once a customer has made a decision to buy, try to finalize the sale as quickly a possible so they can be on their way. No one likes standing in line to make a purchase. Design your store with a second counter that can be use during peek hours and install retail point of sale systems to help get the job done faster with more accuracy and control. There are some very easy to use and affordable POS systems available that will help with check out inventory and cash control. These retail point of sale systems are packed with the features needed to help make your store run better and be more profitable.

One big advantage small retailers have is the ability to provide personal service. Take the time to train your employees to represent your store positively. Make sure your customers get the assistance they deserve.

Remember, a goodbye is just the start of another hello. Doing the little thing right can put you ahead of your competition.

Have you ever encountered the "Oops" situation in your retail store? Ever said "Oops" when the customer received a damaged or non-working product, when the price rang up incorrectly, when the bonus wasn't included in an employee's check, or when a quarterly insurance payment was missed? We have all experienced an "Oops" situation, and we know how that feels as well as what it costs. Using checklists can help to reduce the number of "Oops" moments.

As a retailer, you're faced with managing a number of areas that directly contribute to your profitability, including sales, operations, inventory, marketing, administration, and personnel. By managing each of these areas carefully and attentively, you can derive maximum profits out of each. Effectively using checklists can help you better serve customers, process sales, direct and control operations, manage costs, and achieve increased profitability.

Checklists are a key component of a successful retail business operation. Utilizing checklists leads to higher profit, more efficient and productive operations, satisfied customers, and a better quality of life for you and your employees. Let's take a look at some of the major functional areas of a retail operation and see how checklists can be applied to improve overall profitability.

Sales: Writing and recording sales can often be a source of errors and mistakes such as information omission, incorrect data, inexact calculations, return processing errors, inaccurate product numbers or payment mistakes. Each of these errors and mistakes can be reduced, if not eliminated, through the use of carefully designed checklists. Using a checklist will serve as a reminder to follow all procedural steps and ensure conformity with your business practices and policies for all your employees.

Operations: Everything required to run the store and not mentioned elsewhere, is typically called operations. This includes accounting, advertising, banking, budgeting, cleaning, opening and closing, handling money, ordering products and supplies, and reporting. Using checklists is important to ensure this work will be done in the correct manner and that nothing will be missed. Checklists can be especially useful in planning your daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual To Do lists. When you must trust someone else to complete the work in your absence, a well designed checklist ensures all the work will get done and in the correct manner.

Inventory: Paying close attention to inventory means controlling costs and having enough products on the shelf to sell. Excess inventory has a carrying cost associated with it while no inventory means lost or delayed sales. Checklists can help you manage inventory, record stock items, receive shipments, and re-order; all necessary functions to maximize sales.

Employees: Turnover is an ever-present issue in the retail business as are the numerous government reports and regulations regarding employment. Checklists can be utilized to minimize time spent on reporting, maintaining files, hiring and training new employees, and dismissing employees. Doing it correctly and efficiently avoids problems later, problems that can be time consuming and costly.

Using checklists in your retail store gives you the ability to operate productively and efficiently, keep costs low, and make a profit. Checklists can be used in all facets of a retail operation, helping to organize tasks, manage time, operate more efficiently, avoid excess costs and wasteful ways, and ensure compliance with laws, policies and procedures. Checklists can be developed internally, can be purchased through a commercial source, or purchased and modified to meet your specific requirements. Purchasing a professionally designed checklist that has been tested by many other retailers can save you a lot of time and money and is an option that should be considered.

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About Author

Both Joe Haefner & Jim Odonnell are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Joe Haefner has sinced written about articles on various topics from Small Business. . Joe Haefner's top article generates over 880 views. to your Favourites.

Jim Odonnell has sinced written about articles on various topics from Elder Care, Direct Marketing and Marketing Strategies. Jim O'Donnell of Jaguar Consulting, Inc. in Kingston, NH provides a wide array of marketing and business development services for small business and has developed a series of. Jim Odonnell's top article generates over 27100 views. to your Favourites.